At least 16 people were killed as an intercity train crashed into another train in Kasba upazila of Brahmanbaria. The accident occurred around 3am in the morning, as Dhaka-bound Turna Nishita Express from Chattogram rammed Chattogram-bound Udayan Express from Sylhet at Mondobhag Railway Station, said Md Delwar Hossain, loco shed in-charge of Akhaura Railway Junction. Shayamal Kanti Das, officer-in-charge of Akhaura Railway Police Station, said 12 people died on the spot and many others suffered injuries in the train crash.

Later, three of the injured died at Brahmanbaria Sadar Hospital while another at Cumilla Sadar Hospital, the OC said. Initial reports indicate the Turna Nishita Express locomaster ignored signals while approaching Akhaura Railway Junction where the Udayan Express was changing its track at the station when the collision occurred. The additional director general of Bangladesh Railways said the accident took place as a result of "human failure". It was the worst train accident in the country since 1995.

Mobile phone operator Grameenphone said telco regulator BTRC disobeyed a court order that barred the commission from taking any measure against the operator for recovering an audit claim. The mobile phone operator made the allegation at a discussion with reporters in a city hotel. GP chief executive officer Michael Patrick Foley, deputy chief executive officer Yasir Azman and regulatory affairs head Hossain Sadat were present on the occasion.

"The BTRC failed to obey the injunction given by the High Court," Foley alleged. On October 17, the High Court issued an injunction for two months on realisation of Tk 12,579.95 crore in audit claim from GP by the BTRC. The Appellate Division is now hearing the issue as the BTRC has challenged the HC order. The telecom regulator's move to appoint administrators to GP and Robi to recover audit claims had prompted the mobile phone operator to go to court to secure the injunction.

Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni has said the government has managed to reduce the dropout rate of students at educational institutions of the country. "In the past ten years, the dropout rate has dropped to 18 percent from 47 percentage. The government of Bangladesh has introduced a 'School Feeding Programme' and monthly stipends for the students to prevent dropouts," she said.

The education minister was speaking at the 73rd Session of the SDG-Education 2030 Steering Committee at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. It was part of her response when assistant director general (ADG) for education at UNESCO Stefania Giannini requested her to state the current successes in the education sector of Bangladesh.

Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus presented the keynote address at a gala hosted by the Mayor of Berlin Michael Müller, on the occasion of 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall at Bode Museum in Berlin, Germany. The event was attended by 300 dignitaries of the city to mark the thirty year old peaceful revolution of the fall of the Wall.

In his address Professor Yunus congratulated Berlin on 30 years of the fall of the Wall, and said it marked an event that changed the course of not only Berlin and Germany but the entire course of the world. "The fall of the Berlin Wall made us believe that the impossible can suddenly and unexpectedly become possible, if we continue to keep up our relentless efforts," he said.